The Third Temujai Invasion
by RAfan2421
Summary: In a place known to all as the Eastern Steppes, the fiercest warriors are born. After being thwarted twice, the Temujai have risen in numbers so great, they have never been seen before. Now, they sweep the known world, both east and west, in a final attempt to conquer the known world. Read and Review. Rated T for blood and stuff.
1. Chapter 1

The Third Temujai Invasion

**A/N: Another Ranger's Apprentice Story. Sorry I couldn't finish the other one yet. **** Enjoy this one. I hope no one has used this idea yet. Also, my geography of the countries might be a little off. I need to grab book 10 again and look at that map. I made a commitment towards longer chapters. That does mean a longer waiting time however.**

Chapter 1

Will rode on Tug through the deep green forest with Horace. The two friends were off to scout what was rumored to be another Temujai invasion. Halt and Crowley had doubted the rumors of "there were millions of them!", since the last invasion had only been five to six thousand Temujai. However, when Will rode to the edge of the cliff with Horace following close behind him, they saw the extent of the Temujai army and gaped in astonishment. Anybody could've thought that there were millions of them. You couldn't see the beginning, or the end, of their big shapeless mass of men. After noting down key aspects to the army, Will and Horace prepared the long march back to Araluen, through Teutlandt and Gallica. Will thought, "At least we'll have time to prepare. Skandia won't fall for a few weeks, and then they still have to get through Teutlandt and Gallica." Will felt sorry for Erak, the Skandian Oberjarl who had helped him escape slavery in Skandia. He knew that the Skandians would have no chance. Also, the archers in Skandia would probably be killed and scattered. Meanwhile, Horace was still gaping at the huge mass of men and horses.

"Horace, let's go, no sense in waiting for the Temujai to attack Skandia before leaving."

Horace closed his mouth and turned and rode back into the trees. The two friends rode side by side.

"Do you Rangers have a brilliant idea on how to defeat these Temujai."

Will frowned, and said, "If you warriors rely on us to come up with all the plans, you should obey me more."

Horace smiled, and said, "That was pretty bad."  
Will shrugged and changed the subject.

"How's Evanlyn doing?"

"She's fine. The midwife has been over several times and she said that nothing was wrong. They told us that it was likely to be a boy. King Duncan has become even more protective and I think that's making Evanlyn restless."

Will smiled, knowing how Evanlyn tended to be headstrong and hated protectiveness.

Horace asked in his turn, "How's Alyss?"

"She's doing well, off on another mission to Hibernia to help King Sean and the other five kings."

The friends rode on in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Will was thinking about how Araluen could defend against all the Temujai. He was thinking of gathering together a coalition force of all the men they could get from all the countries and facing the Temujai. However, he knew that countries such as Teutlandt and Gallica would never be able to unite, and countries like Nihon-Ja were too far away and it was too hard to get a messenger to them in time. The bulk of the coalition army, should it get formed, would probably consist of Arridi troopers if they agreed to join, Toscan troops, and Araluen warriors. Will, in his mind's eye, was trying to develop a way for the troops to defeat the Temujai. Horace was worried. Now that the topic of Evanlyn had been brought up, he was scared. He was scared that Evanlyn might have a miscarriage or something bad, and die, or if something might happen to the baby. He also felt that he wasn't prepared to be a father.

Suddenly, Will stopped. He held out an arm and stopped Kicker as well. He put a finger to his lips and dismounted. On the road ahead of them, a Temujai scout party was crossing. They had stopped and were now resting. However, as the day wore on, and the scouting party didn't leave, Will and Horace realized what had happened. The Temujai had blocked off all routes out of Skandia. They were trapped.

Halt rode Abelard into the Ranger Gathering, fresh from a moondarking mission to the south in Coledale Fief. He had helped the Ranger, Skinner, there and caught all the moondarkers including the leader. (**A/N: Be impressed my memory :D) **He saw Crowley and cantered over to him. Crowley was feeding Cropper half an apple, but he turned around when he heard hooves.

"Well, well, well look at what a fresh young face just came in!"

"Crowley, throughout the years, I would've hoped that you had developed a better sense of humor. I was mistaken for the first time in my life."

Crowley grinned. "Well, what brings you here now?"

"I was wondering whether or not Will and Horace have gotten back."

"No, I was just starting wonder what happened to him. We haven't heard from them in a long time. I would've thought they would at least be in range of one of our fiefs so that they could send us some news. Maybe Will wants to tell us personally?"

"Maybe, but the kingdom should know if they are back in Araluen. Maybe they got held up by Erak?"

"Erak has a war to prepare for. I doubt he would have held them up. Besides, he would have told us."

Crowley spread his hands. "Well, I don't know where he is."

Halt frowned. He was worried that something had happened to his former apprentice. He decided to go looking for him and told Crowley. Crowley agreed and sent word for Gilan to be moved from Whitby Fief to Redmont and for Alun to resume duties as Ranger of Whitby Fief. However, at this very moment Alyss came back from her mission in Hibernia. When she heard that Will was missing in Skandia again, she became extremely worried. Halt, Lady Pauline, and Alyss discussed the problem in Lady Pauline's apartment in Redmont Castle. Halt decided to go after Will and Horace to try and figure out what had happened, and to help them if they were in trouble. Alyss wanted to go as well. Halt had a long and fierce argument with her, but in the end, he had to let Alyss come. George had also showed up, but he couldn't come. He was too tied up in his lawsuits in Redmont. Halt and Alyss, with the help of Lady Pauline and Jenny, prepared themselves for the long, bitter cold. Winter was coming, and it was extremely cold in Skandia. Last time, when Will and Evanlyn had been captured while burning Morgarath's bridge, and Halt and Horace had gone after him, Halt still felt the chill sometimes. This time, he added extra blankets and layers of clothing. Alyss did the same. After they completed their preparations, they went to see Baron Arald to inform him that they were leaving and that Gilan would be arriving that very afternoon.

On the way out, Sir Rodney put his hand on Halt's shoulder and said, "Find them. The kingdom needs more men like them."

Halt nodded, and without a word, he and Alyss descended the stairs, mounted their horses, and rode off on yet another search.

That afternoon when they set up camp, Halt groaned softly. His knees were killing him.

'I really am getting too old for this.' He thought.

Erak Starfollower, Oberjarl of Skandia, was in the Hallasholm Great Hall with Svengal, Borsa, Thorn, and two other senior jarls. The day before, their scouts had reported a massive Temujai army moving towards the Skandian border. It was much bigger than the force that Erak and his predecessor Ragnak had fought off previously. He was worried. The Araluen rangers would be extremely useful, but not decisive since the element of surprise would be entirely gone. Also, the Skandians had no strategist like last time, and they were vastly outnumbered, perhaps thirty to one. Just then the doors to the Great Hall opened, and a small, slight built boy entered.

Hal Mikkelson was shorter than the average Skandian. He was also smaller in size. However, ever since he and his Heron brotherband had brought back the Andomal, the most treasured artifact the Skandians had ever found, he and his brotherband were hailed heroes. Erak had realized very early on, that the boy, although only seventeen years old, was an excellent strategist. He had therefore sent word to his mother to summon him.

Hal asked respectfully, "You summoned me, Oberjarl?"

One of the jarls grunted, "We need to borrow your brains here. The Temujai will arrive at the end of next week at the latest. We need to set up defensive operations."

Hal had been told about the invasion beforehand.

"You can't fight them with these numbers."

"Are you suggesting that we abandon Hallasholm?" said Borsa with a hint of anger.

Hal turned and looked at him.

"I don't like the idea, but it's the only possible course. The Temujai outnumber us almost thirty to one. We would all die, and they would still get the treasure we have. Besides, we can always take back the treasure after we defeat them."

"And how do you propose these invaders? We'll die no matter where we go. It would be more honorable to face them and take down as many of them as we can."

Erak frowned, and rubbed his brow. "I agree with Hal that we cannot hope to defeat these horsemen. However, alternately, I do not wish to abandon everything we have in Hallasholm to these invaders."

One of the senior jarls leaned forward. "If neither choice is the correct solution, then what should we do. I'm not saying I like it, in fact I hate it, but Hal's idea sounds like the most logical one."

The other jarl said angrily, "All of you are turning into strategists because of that ranger boy who came to help us drive these horsemen away. We are Skandians. To die with weapons in our hands in our berserker rage is the greatest glory being a Skandian can offer. I propose we fight!"

Erak sighed heavily. "So be it."

Selethen, Wakir of the Arridi province of Al-Shabah was enjoying a feast with his troops. They had just joined forces with the Khoresh Bedullin once again and defeated the Tualaghi force that had been gathering in the mountains. They had been led by Yusal's brother. Selethen remembered how Yusal had left his men in the desert with very little water and no shoes. He took a savage delight in destroying his kin, as well as his forces. Suddenly, one of his officers appeared.

"Wakir Selethen! We have an ambassador here from Araluen who says that the matter is very urgent."

Selethen stood at once. "Let him in!"

A tall young man stepped into the dining pavilion. He introduced himself as Thomas. He took from within the depths of his cloak a letter sealed with wax, imprinted with the seal of King Duncan himself.

Selethen took it, broke the seal, unfurled the tightly bound scroll and read the contents. It was written with a fancy script, making it hard to decipher. **(A/N: Sorry about this)**

_From King Duncan, King of all lands in Araluen, To Selethen, Wakir of the Province of Al-Shabah._

_ Greetings. I hope this letter finds you and your comrades alive and well after your latest skirmish with the Forgotten of God. We have some urgent news. There have been reports of Temujai movement. Will and Horace have went on a scouting mission, but it appears that we have lost contact with them. In this hour of need, I intend to unite all the countries in a battle to defeat the Temujai and cripple their forces so that they shall never dare to invade again. I would have sent this to your Emrikir, but owing to the fact that neither I nor anybody in Araluen have met him, I feel that it would be more appropriate to send this to you, who we all know from Cassandra's wonderful stories._ _Therefore, I must ask a great favor of you, Selethen. I know that currently you are not threatened by the Temujai, and that you are busy rooting out the Tualaghi. However, I feel that if we fail to form a coalition army, we will be destroyed one by one. The Temujai show no sign of halting. I hope that we can come to an agreement. Currently, I am also calling for support from Hibernia, Teutlandt, Gallica, the Scotti, and the Toscans. Although some of these countries listed are enemies, none of these countries can stand against the full might of the Temujai. Please help us and convince the Emrikir. _

_ Sincerely,_

_ King Duncan_

After Selethen finished reading, he was appalled that a strong country such as Araluen required help from all the countries to defeat this one army. He had heard of the Temujai before, and knew their prowess that they had excellent horse-riding skills. Beyond that however, he had no idea what their strengths or weaknesses were. He sighed. Anything for an allied country.

Emperor Shigeru sat at his royal study table in his palace. He was studying battle plans with his chief advisors. Two weeks ago, his scouts had reported that an army of several thousand horsemen had become to attack Nihon-Ja's outskirts. He was worried that his might be an invasion force. There were many reasons to believe this. First, the army itself was too large for it to be a raiding group. Second, the horsemen had continued to advance deeper into Nihon-Ja. Currently, Shigeru was readying his forces in preparation to meet them in battle. However, seeing as he had no real knowledge of how the men fight, or how well trained they were, he was meticulously planning his strategy. He hoped that the enemies were scared, pathetic men who ran away at the first sign of defeat. However, the ease at which they defeated the outposts of Nihon-Ja led him to believe otherwise. Therefore, he and his advisors sat in counsel near midnight, preparing their forces to meet the invaders the next morning. As they were going over their final strategy, they heard shouting outside, and then the clash of steel. A Senshi warrior burst into the tent.

"Emperor Shigeru! The horsemen are attacking us in the cover of night. We are being overwhelmed!"

The emperor and his advisors and retinue of a dozen guards all jumped up, and grabbed their kitanas. They all rushed out of the tent. Outside, fires were breaking all over the camp, and the horsemen, like a black mass, came at them with their battle cries.

When the horrible din of battle had finally subsided, the ground and trees were stained red with blood. A weary Shigeru retreated with about three-quarters of his force into the mountains, where he and two hundred Kikori had staved off thousands of Arisaka's troops. There, they prepared themselves for a long and bitter siege. The other quarter of his force was either captured or slaughtered. All in all, it had been a long, bitter, bloody fight. Winter was coming, and the trail was deepening by the moment with the fallen snow. The wounded groaned, and the men shivered as they climbed the mountain pass. It was truly a miserable sight. When Shigeru saws his men, he almost wept. They were broken, gaunt, and stained with blood. Slowly, they retreated into the mountains to regroup.

**Well, I hope you people enjoyed this. First story in quite a while.**

**-RAfan2421**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's Chapter Two. Sorry for the sort of long wait. Happy MLK everybody.**

**Anon:**

**FarmersDaughter: Thanks! I know, I should probably fix punctuation, but I try to type really fast to get all my ideas down. Enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 2**

**(Will)**

Horace and Will set up camp for the night. They were on dry rations, for they did not want the Temujai to know they were camping only a short distance from one of their camps. For once, Horace didn't complain about the food. 'That was a relief.' thought Will.

Horace spoke up, "Will, how are we going to get back to Araluen?"

Will didn't reply at first, frowning as he thought about it. Horace noticed the frown, and knew that this was one of the more serious situations that he and his friend had gotten into in the last few years.

"We can't possible force our way through the camp. There are hundreds of them. I could probably sneak past them in the cover of night, but with you…"

"You don't have to be subtle about it Will. I know that I'm your biggest liability right now. You should just leave me and sneak past those Temujai. We have to get word to Halt."

"I can't just leave you," Will said fiercely. "Evanlyn would kill me, for one, and also, you'd die of starvation because there's no food to scavenge here in Skandia. It's freezing cold, there is no wildlife around here, so after the rations run out, you'd starve, if you didn't freeze first."

"Well, we'll both freeze and starve if one of us doesn't get word to Halt and the King."

Will knew his friend was right. However, he hated the idea of leaving his friend in the frigid climate. He knew that if he didn't get back to him within one month, Horace would run out of rations and die of starvation, especially with his appetite. After some back and forth debating, he knew that if he didn't leave, the two of them would die in a month. Nobody would help him. Halt, Alyss, Gilan, Evanlyn, and all their other friends would worry, but it would be almost impossible for them to be able to find them, and get through the Temujai lines. He knew their only hope was to get help by themselves.

Will said, "I don't like it, but I have to go, you have to take care of yourself Horace. There's enough food to last you for a month. Don't overeat. I'll come back as soon as I can. If I don't come back within a month, then that means I failed… and I'm sorry if I do fail."

Horace looked up at him.

"You won't fail. Bring back help."

(Halt)

We were on the road to Skandia again. Alyss rode by me in silence. Her face was inscrutable. Pauline had taught her well. We entered Gallica from the south. We hope that the mission wasn't a real mission; that Will and Horace had just gotten held up by someone. However, knowing those two, it was unlikely that they hadn't gotten themselves into a deadly situation. We were hoping to arrive the day after tomorrow to Skandia.

"Do you think they will be there?" Alyss asked suddenly.

Halt didn't reply for a while. Alyss was about to reply when Halt answered, "I'd like to think that they are, but I would rather not hope for the best and then have my hopes let down. I don't think that Will and Horace would be irresponsible enough to not send us any carrier pigeons, or give us any notice of their late return. I hope that nothing happened, but I don't want to bet on it."

Alyss wore a worried look on her face. Halt hastened to reassure her. He hated the idea of someone like Alyss getting worried, especially since she was Pauline's protégée.

"It will be alright. Those boys know how to take care of themselves. They get into trouble, but they also know how to get out of trouble."

Alyss knew that he was trying to cheer her up and forced a smile. They rode on in silence, each deep in their own thoughts.

They couldn't find a town with an inn, so they were forced to try and seek lodging at a farmer's house. It didn't work out very well. Halt's face scared most of the farmers. The rest of them didn't have enough room. In the end, the two of them had to make camp on the side of a road, slightly in the forest. It was not by any means comfortable. Also, Halt was a terrible cook, but he refused to let Alyss do the cooking. This resulted in a pretty terrible meal, but Alyss, with her Courier training, said nothing about it. In the end that was a bad mistake since Halt continued to insist on doing the cooking every night. When they finally arrived into Skandian territory, Alyss finally had something to take her mind off the terrible food each evening. It was the way the Temujai were behaving. It looked like they were sealing up the country! This couldn't be good.

(Hal)

(**A/N: I don't know whether or not I should make this a Brotherband-RA crossover. Tell me what you think.)**

Hal stood up.

"We cannot fight!"

One of the jarls swelled with rage.

"Are you, boy, telling me what to do? Just because you are some fancy hero still doesn't mean I can't take your head off with my axe!"

Hal stood his ground.

"If we fight, not only will we lose Hallasholm, we'll lose many valuable warriors!"

"But we'll take many of those accursed Temujai with us!."

"Would you sacrifice the lives of every Skandian?"

"You're proposing us hand them Skandia without a fight! No one in Skandia will stand for that insult!"

"ENOUGH!" Erak bellowed.

"We cannot be fighting amongst ourselves now. We will all be killed if we don't follow one central plan!"

"So what do you propose?" asked Borsa.

Erak breathed heavily. He considered all the options. His instinct was to fight until he dropped from exhaustion or death. His common sense told him to listen to Hal's plan. However, in the end, when he looked at the problem in all aspects, he went with…

(Selethen)

"Seley'el'then (**A/N: Is that how its spelled?)**, Wakir of Al-Shabah!" the herald announced.

The double doors opened and the court of the Emrikir all looked expectantly at Selethen. He cleared his throat.

"Your Excellency! I have received a report from our allied country Araluen that there has been massive Temujai movement in the north. They show no signs of stopping and wish to conquer the world. Our allies in Araluen have proposed a mass coalition army to fight and beat the Temujai once and for all. I believe that the idea is sound. It is better than fighting the Temujai one country at a time. I propose we send out our armies in aid of the countries."

The Emrikir responded, "This is the first report of Temujai movement. Indeed they are strong and powerful. However, I feel that if we send out our armies, the Forgotten of God, the Tualaghi, will rise up in greater numbers and raid our cities. I do not foresee a way we can successfully divide our armies so that we can both defend and aid our allies. Therefore, unless you see a way that we can successfully do this, I must place the safety of our country first. I cannot send our armies to help the countries of the north."

Selethen bowed, "I understand that as a leader it is your duty to protect the people. However, we have just vanquished the Tualaghi recently! They are defeated, and licking their wounds. The timing is perfect because they will be licking their wounds."

"Understand, Seley'el'then, that you are asking a great deal of me. I cannot promise anything. However, I will give my answer to you in two weeks time."

"In two weeks Araluen may have already fallen, Your Excellency."

"I'm sorry Seley'el'then. It is all I can do at the moment. Unless you have a better idea?"

"Your Excellency, may I take my personal troopers of 500, and go help my friends and allies?"

The Emrikir thought long and hard. The entire hall was silent. Finally he looked up.

"Go, Seley'el'then and may God be with you."

(Shigeru)

Ran Koshi was the same as when Shigeru had stayed there to fend off Arisaka. The same snows, huts and palisade. Shigeru's men had recruited the Kikori once more. Most of those who knew Shigeru took up arms without hesitation. The others followed their leaders. At Ran Koshi, they sent messengers to the Hassanu (**A/N: Is that what they were called?)**. Then, they planned their defense. The palisade would help because the enemy's cavalry would be completely negated. Also the Senshi and the Kikori both had different unique fighting styles that would help. They also began making use of Mikeru's Pass. The lookout position was now manned by a two person watch of two hours each. Everything that was going on outside was reported. The leaders planned their next moves.

Three days after the Emperor and his troops arrived at Ran Koshi, the horsemen arrived. The Emperor and his advisors were amazed. No army in history had ever managed to navigate the woods of Nihon-Ja in the winter. There was too much snow. Also, nobody, not even the Emperor himself, had managed to find Ran Koshi without the help of the Kikori. Now, however, the enemy horsemen had found them. The Emperor and his advisors knew that this would be the greatest enemy they had ever faced. Immediately they doubled the guards and the defenders. They took this battle even more seriously than the one against Arisaka.

Five days after the horsemen arrived, they launched their first assault. It obviously was not intended to break through the Emperor's defenses. However, the assault left its mark. Thirty-two men had died, while sixty-seven more had been wounded.

"Our numbers are dwindling. Our enemy is too strong. Is this really the place where I'll die?" Shigeru said to an advisor.

"Emperor, that is in the hands of the Gods."

Shigeru sighed. He knew that the battle was hopeless. The horsemen's reinforcements were arriving every single day.

"Ran Koshi is indeed a fortress, but it is also a death trap. If we cannot hold this stronghold, then this will be our death place. There is no retreat. No way back. The way forward is blocked by enemies. We have no choice. If we lose over half of our remaining men, tell the survivors that I, Shigeru, Emperor of Nihon-Ja, will not blame them if they desert or surrender to the enemy."

"But Emperor-"

"No. Do not protest. I cannot watch my men get slaughtered simply because I was too proud to surrender to the enemy."

"Emperor, these horsemen do not take prisoners. Those that got captured in the last battle were killed."

"Then tell them they have my permission to desert."

"But-"

"Remember what I said. Do not back down. This is an order. Tell the men when the time comes."

The advisor looked uncertain, but then bowed his head.

"Yes Emperor."

Shigeru looked up at the stars shining brightly above. Then he retired to his bedroom and went to sleep.

(General Haz'kam)

After the last failed invasion on the Skandians, General Haz'kam was now given this huge army. He had one chance. Either he destroyed the rest of the world, or he would be put to death. This was a battle he could not lose. Also, he was after revenge. After Nit'zak, his greatest friend and advisor, had died, he swore he would destroy the enemy and their cities. Now was his chance. There was no way back. Success or Death was the stakes.

"Tomorrow, attack we move out. We will finish all the blockades. No ship or person can leave this country by the end of tomorrow." Haz'kam said, pointing to spots on the map with his knife.

His best generals nodded, and bowed, before leaving the tent. Haz'kam sat for a long time in the light of the candle. He remembered all the years on campaign. The successes that had vaulted him to his current position. The failures that led to this one last high stakes test. He studied the map one last time. Then, he retired to his sleeping mat.

In the morning Haz'kam climbed onto his horse. He pulled out his sword, and led his troops forward. Each Ulan cantered forward, and they continued. They would reach the Skandian capital soon. This time, Haz'kam was going to show the blasted northerners what he had been taught since the very first day he received his first sword. The Temujai are a superior race, and deserved to own the world. All other races of man were weak. Last time, he had been overconfident. This time, he swore he would not make the same mistake.

The large mass of men moved forward. None of them noticed the two men watching them on the mountain. One, cloaked in green, the other wearing an oak leaf shield. The consequences of this mistake would be deadly.

**Enjoyed it? Leave a review and tell me what you thought. Again, sorry about the long wait.**

**-RAfan2421**


	3. Chapter 3

**Lately I haven't been doing much so I decided to continue writing my story!**

**Anons:**

**Guest: I'll try to do that.**

**FarmersDaughter: There will be more Hal, but do try to keep the arms waving to a minimum ****. Oh and thanks for all the writing tips, I really do appreciate feedback like that. Anyways, enjoy this chapter.**

**(Will)**

Will and Horace finished observing the Temujai camp.

"I'll go for help with Erak. We can help them try and slow these Temujai down. Then, I can lead some of them here, defeat these Temujai, and get you out of here ok?"

Horace nodded. It was the most sensible plan. They headed back to camp, and the Will packed his belongings, supplies, and his weapons. When the sun dropped below the horizon, Will wordlessly clapped a hand on Horace's shoulder, before mounting Tug and riding off. A minute later, he was back.

Horace was surprised to see him.

"What's wrong?"

"Can you take care of Tug? I can't bring him with me through the Temujai lines. The only way that I can sneak past is stealth, and I can't manage that with Tug even though he is excellent at keeping quiet."

"Sure, I guess."

Tug snorted. _Oh no no no. You are not leaving my sight line again Will. Remember last time? You almost died without my excellent guidance._

Will looked furtively at Horace. Horace chuckled.

"Go ahead and answer him if you want."

"How'd you know? Can you understand him?"

"No, but Alyss told me that you get a furtive look when you are about to talk to your horse, and I saw you looking at me."

"Oh…"

"She's really smart you know."

Will smiled. "Indeed she is."

Then, Will turned to Tug and said, "I can manage fine. Besides with you, I'm probably more likely to get caught. I'll make sure Horace gives you two apples every day if you stay here."

_I can't be bought._

Will smiled, "Sure you can."

_Good point, but not today._

"C'mon Tug. You know that this is for the good of all of us. Just please agree to this? Please?"

_Fine, but only if you promise to not stick your nose in where it doesn't belong. If you find the Temujai building some stupid bridge, don't stick around and burn it, get others to do it._

Will promised that he wouldn't get caught, and then handed a sack of sixty apples to Horace.

"You heard me right?" he asked.

"Yeah, but didn't Halt say one apple was enough for Tug."

Tug whinnied angrily.

"Yeah he did, but this is bribery remember?"

"Oh yeah."

Will said goodbye once more, and ghosted, wraith-like into the trees.

(Halt)

Halt tried to approach the enemy Temujai and got an arrow right next to his head as a result. He decided not to get near those Temujai. At least, not during the day. He retreated to the woods to confer with Alyss. Alyss was extremely worried about Will now. She didn't know whether or not the Temujai had blocked off this route because they found Will, or because they blocked off this route and all the other routes into Skandia. Both were bad situations to be in.

"Alyss, they are making it abundantly clear that this route is blocked."

"Can we sneak past?"

"Maybe at night." Halt didn't add the fact that it would be extremely hard for anyone who did not have Ranger training.

Alyss knew that she was definitely not the best person for this.

"Can we make it?"

"I don't know Alyss. Me alone, maybe, but with you it would be hard. I'd have to teach you some things."

"Well, teach me then!"

"It'll take a few days."

"Can't we go tonight?"

"No. We'd get spotted, and this whole mission would be in vain. Besides, I like my head where it is."

Alyss sighed. She knew that Halt was right. She didn't have the ability to sneak past a watchful enemy. At least, she didn't have that ability yet. She made a promise to herself that she would learn fast so that they could find Will in the fastest amount of time possible.

(Um, Skandia in general)

Erak went with fight. He had always trusted his instinct.

"We'll fight. In these days, we'll prepare both our defenses and our ships. If we do get overrun, escape to the ships and sail for Araluen. We can solicit help there. After all, we are allied with them."

Suddenly, the doors to the Great Hall opened. A skirl ran in.

"Oberjarl! One of my men found a young Araluen man coming towards Hallasholm wearing a brown-green cloak. What should we do with him?"

Erak grinned. If the person was who he thought it was, finally there was some good luck.

"Bring him in."

The skirl nodded, and went outside. A moment later, a young man clad in a mottled green-brown cloak entered.

"Erak!" he cried.

"Well well well, if it isn't my old Araluen friend. What brings you here in the winter?"

"I was checking out the Temujai invasion for Halt. Then, we got trapped because the Temujai were sealing all the exits out of Skandia. I've left Horace alone and snuck past the enemy lines to get here. I have to go back and rescue him!"

"Whoa there Will. Slow down. Horace is alone in this snow?"

"Yes, I'm worried about what will happen if the Temujai find him."

Erak stood up. He had always prided himself on always saving his friends when they needed him.

He grabbed his axe, and said, "Let's go! Where is he?"

Hal said, "Wait Oberjarl. What about this threat. What will you do?"

"We'll fight. Since young Will is here, I'm sure he can come up with a great plan."

Will smiled at the faith. He remembered the good old times when he and Erak had repelled the enemy Temujai invasion. Although their chances looked bleak, there was still the possibility of victory. Will resolved to figure out a way to exploit the Temujai's weaknesses, if they had any.

They set out immediately with a troop of thirty Skandian warriors. At nightfall, they reached the Temujai lines. Will had already told the Skandians that there were about sixty Temujai in the camp. It seemed as though one Ulan of sixty men had been dispatched to all the entrances to Skandia.

"We can overcome them." Erak said.

"Alright, as one, we attack. I'll pick off a few, and then join you."

"Don't join us. You'll probably get in the way."

Will thought about it, then nodded assent. He knew that getting in the way of Skandians was not a good idea. Therefore, he hung back and prepared his bow as the Skandians readied their weapons.

When the Skandians were close, Erak shouted the time-honored Skandian words.

"Let's get 'em boys!"

Will watched as the Skandians charged into the Temujai camp, wreaking havoc everywhere. After he watched them decimate the Temujai, he ran past the camp and toward the place where he last left Horace. What he saw shocked him.

(Selethen)

Selethen boarded the commanding ship with his warriors. It turned out that Umar and the Khoresh Bedullin would also go with them on this trip to help Will and his friends. That was good, since the Bedullin were fierce warriors. He took a deep breath. There was no going back.

"Cast off." He ordered.

The ship left port and headed out into the sea. He looked up at the bright skies and prayed that he was making the right decision by endangering his own country to help his allies.

Their ship sailed for five days. Throughout the trip Selethen slept restlessly. When he was awake, he was always at the stern of the ship. When Castle Araluen finally came into sight, Selethen relaxed, looking for his friends on shore. He saw Evanlyn first. Then, he saw the King and his court. After that, he saw Gilan standing nearby in his Ranger cloak. However, when he looked for Will, Horace, Halt, and the others who had come to his country a few years ago to ransom their friend the Skandian Oberjarl Erak, he did not see any of them. This made him worried again. What could have possibly happened to them?

Their ships were moored and Selethen stepped off the ship and greeted the King of Araluen with the due respect of greeting a sovereign of a large country. Afterwards, he greeted Gilan and Evanlyn. Finally, when there was some privacy Selethen asked the question.

"Where are Will and Horace and Halt? I thought they would be here."

Evanlyn and Gilan looked at each other.

"As you know, the Temujai have been on the move. Will and Horace went off to scout them last month. Then, when they didn't come back, Halt became worried and went off with one of our best couriers Alyss to go and find out what had happened to them. According to the last courier pigeon they sent a few days ago, they were stuck on the border with the Temujai blocking their entrance. I think Halt is trying to teach Alyss skills so that they can sneak past the Temujai."

"They're all gone?"

"Yeah."

Selethen sighed.

"What's the latest news around here?"

"Well, two things have happened. First, it seems that the Skandians are not evacuating. It looks like they're going to fight. We're planning on supporting them. Second, Nihon-Ja has suddenly been cut off from the rest of the world. We haven't heard anything from them in a month and we keep a regular correspondence. I think they may have been attacked by the Temujai since they are a lot closer to the Eastern Steppes than all of our countries."

"Emperor Shigeru is in trouble?"

"It would appear so."

"We have to go help him."

Gilan looked grim for the first time ever. His usual mischievous manner was grim and silent.

"If we help him, we may very well lose all of our countries to the Temujai."

Selethen had thought that it would only be a minor crisis. Now, however, it seemed that this conflict was about to go global. Every country would be locked in a bloody struggle against the fiercest country in the world. This revelation made him sink into his thoughts and begin to plan ahead for what would certainly be heavy casualties and many deaths on both sides.

(Shigeru)

The Temujai had launched a fierce offensive day and night. Seemly impervious to the casualties brought by simply trying to ascend Ran Koshi in the winter, they continued to attack the palisade. Over one quarter of the force that had come to Ran Koshi had already been either killed or wounded. The Kikori, although valiant in their efforts with their old fighting method which had been taught to them by Will and Horace when Arisaka had come to fight, could not do much against horsemen who were not afraid of death. The Temujai were the first army anybody had ever faced where the men were not one whit afraid of death. The Senshi's concept of warfare changed entirely. They could not frighten the enemy. They either killed the enemy, or the enemy would kill you. The Temujai would not back down. Even though they lost twice the amount of men the Senshi lost, they had reinforcements while the Senshi's numbers could not be replaced. It was a bitter, cruel way of defeating the elite class of the Nihon-Jan warriors. Morale was low. The Emperor was terribly weary and looked increasingly like a gaunt broken man with each passing day. Finally, some good news arrived. The Hassanu were coming. They were strong enough to ascend the other side of Ran Koshi, which was fortunate, since there was no way the Emperor's troops could descend that side of Ran Koshi. They would arrive in three days armed to the teeth. Two mighty armies were poised to clash. The victor would most certainly decide the fate of the entire Nihon-Ja.

Suddenly, drums began to sound. Battle cries ran out. The Temujai had massed two thousand troops and were now riding slowly but surely toward the palisade. The Senshi archers fired their arrows as fast as they could. The foremost Ulans were mostly destroyed. However, the Temujai were expert marksmen themselves. They were causing casualties as well. Seven archers fell in a well placed volley. Shigeru turned to his men.

"Senshi warriors, Kikori warriors, listen to me! I, Shigeru, Emperor of Nihon-Ja, give you my blessing. Fight today for your country, your home, your families, and for your freedom. There is no way back. Don't fight for riches, for gold, for glory, because unless you defeat those horsemen, you will be receiving neither of those. I, as the leader of this country, will lead you in this charge. Now ready your weapons!"

The roar of approval followed by the clanking of metal as the men put on their armor and readied their weapons was deafening. After they were ready, Shigeru pointed his kitana at the approaching Temujai warriors.

"Charge!"

Leading his men, he sprinted forward, leaped over the palisade wall, and charged toward the enemy horsemen. When he reached the first man, he cut him down with a swift stroke of his kitana. Two more fell in quick succession. By that time, his men were fully engaged in all-out battle against the Temujai. However, even this valiant charge was not enough. His men began to fall. Suddenly, Shigeru felt a burning pain in his calf. It had been skewered by an arrow. He fell with agony to the ground.

(General Haz'kam)

Haz'kam cursed. The nuisance raids that the Skandians had used on him were starting again, and there wasn't much he could do to stop it. Also, there had been a report that one of the Ulans dispatched to guard an entrance had been completely destroyed by a troop of Skandian warriors. These reports were bad. Haz'kam ordered another Ulan to be sent to the spot of the breach. Then he ordered his men to form up every day into their sixties. Although this cost time, it was the only thing he could think of to protect his supplies from the raiding Skandians.

His second-in-command ran up to him.

"Our front lines have reached within ten leagues of the Skandian capital. They await your orders."

Haz'kam immediately replied, "Wait for the rest of the army there. We will sweep the Skandians away with sheer force."

His second-in-command nodded, and bowed, and rushed off to deliver the order to one of the couriers who ran between the army.

Suddenly, a huge fire erupted from the supply wagons. Haz'kam was tempted to rush there, but knew better. The last few times he had done that, all he had gotten was a severe shortness of breath for his trouble. The Skandians would always retreat right before the main force of Temujai reached the site where they raided. That was always the problem. Haz'kam watched as his men put out the fire and salvages what rations they could from the supplies. Suddenly, he thought of a crafty plan. Immediately he called one of his aides.

"Strip the first one hundred Ulans of their Kaijin. I have orders for them."

The aide bowed, and rushed off to the Ulan heads.

** Yeah yeah I know, some of the cliffhangers at the ends of the POV's were pretty bad. I'm sorry about that.**

** I'll try to update more often, but I really only have time to write on the weekends. Well, enjoy the chapter. Don't forget to leave a review. Constructive criticism is most welcome. Flames are not.**

**-RAfan2421**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, it's been 5 months and I'm sorry. Just so you all know, if I ever let a story go on hiatus, I will tell everyone on my profile. So if I stop updating for a while, just check my profile and you can see if I've written anything about that story.**

(Skandia)

Horace was gone. There was no evidence of anything except a struggle. The snow was disturbed, with a huge dent which probably signified the place where someone fell. Also on the ground were droplets of blood. It appeared as though Horace had been overpowered and dragged off. It was just a matter of who had actually overpowered him. Was it a Temujai? Or was it a Skandian who had mistaken Horace for an enemy. Judging by the fact that there was no evidence of a body, it seemed unlikely that the foe was a Skandian. Will knew from bitter experience that Skandians usually killed their opponents, they didn't take prisoners. However, they did not find any evidence of Horace inside the Temujai camp. If he had been taken prisoner, then they would have been able to rescue him. If they had killed Horace after they captured him, there would have to be some sign of a body. There was no evidence of any type of grave in the captured Temujai camp. When Erak, finally calmed from his battle rage that all Skandians have in the heat of battle, arrived at the scene, he immediately asked the obvious question.

"What happened?"

Will thought about giving a sarcastic reply, and then decided not to, since Erak was his friend and also Will wasn't entirely sure that Erak had recovered from his battle rage.

"I'm not sure. I think that either Horace was captured after a struggle, or this is the site of a battle that had nothing to do with Horace."

"I thought that Horace's campsite was right here."

"It was, but we can't eliminate the possibility that he had moved the campsite one day for whatever reason."

Erak nodded. It made sense. After all, Horace wasn't stupid. It was very possible that he had moved because the Temujai had almost discovered him or some other close shave such as that one. The site where the campsite had been could have been just a place where a brawl had taken place, perhaps between two Temujai men. He hoped that the scenario he had just imagined was correct. However, he had no way of making sure.

"Well, where do you think we should go to look for him?"

"Well, we could first check deeper into the woods and see what we can find."

Erak nodded, and bellowed to his men.

"C'mon boys, we're gonna check the woods!"

"For what, chief?"

"We're checking to see whether or not the warrior moved his camp into the woods."

"But, chief! You need to get back to Hallasholm!"

"I need to?" Erak asked.

"Sorry, chief. I mean you should get back to Hallasholm. The Temujai are coming and you should get back to lead us into battle!"

"That'll have to wait. If we can find Horace, we'll be a lot better off in this war."

The young Skandian made no further comment, as he knew it would be pointless to argue with the Oberjarl after he had already made his decision. As the group trudged deeper and deeper into the forest, they found nothing. As they were about to give up, they suddenly came upon a clearing in the forest. There, the huge mass of troops shocked them. As they were about to leave, the young Skandian accidently stepped on a tree root and tripped. He fell, cursing, to the snow. Immediately, Erak was onto him.

"Shut u, do you hear?" Erak whispered furiously. "The Temujai can hear us from here!"

It was too late, and a dreaded signal horn was blown by one of the sentries sitting in the trees. Soon, cries and shouts were heard behind them.

(Halt and Alyss)

"No! Before you move, always check if there is anything underneath the leaves or else you might step on a hidden tree branch by accident and completely give away your position to the sentries." Halt said, trying his best to be patient, after a hard two hours trying to get Alyss to learn how to move without making a sound.

Alyss was frustrated. She had been trying to memorize all the things that she needed to do to stay silent, which included how to position herself, the proper technique on how to step, among other tedious things. However, she gritted her teeth, and apologized for perhaps the millionth time.

Halt, so used to argument from long apprenticeships with Will and Gilan, was taken aback by the apologies. He was used to making a smart or sarcastic reply to his apprentice's remarks, but he could do nothing against apologies, so he continued to teach Alyss the fine points about the art of stealth walking.

Finally, after five hours of grueling work, Halt decided to test Alyss.

"I will be standing at that tree with the deep slash in its bark. You are to start somewhere at least three hundred yards from me. Then, you will attempt to sneak up to me. If I catch you somewhere between one to fifty yards, we will go and slip by the Temujai camp tonight. If I catch you somewhere between fifty and one hundred yards, we will work on this some more and try again. If I catch you beyond one hundred yards, I'm going to have to leave you behind."

Alyss nodded to show she understood. Halt walked off to the tree as Alyss slipped into shadows of the trees. She desperately tried to remember what she had been taught in the past seven hours. She gritted her teeth, and slowly, _**slowly**_, started to make her way forward. She knew that Halt would not expect her to go straight up to his face as it was the prime way to get spotted. She made it to around one hundred yards, and stopped behind a tree. Slowly, without lowering her cowl, or dropping her focus, she peered around the side of the tree. She saw Halt staring at one spot, not really looking around. Halt had told her that it was more likely to catch a person out of the corner of your eye than to look around all the time and possibly miss a person because you weren't looking at the right place at the right time. She slowly withdrew back behind her tree, took a deep breath, and lowered herself to the ground. She slithered out of hiding, and slowly began to make her way to Halt. 90 meters. 80 meters now. 75 meters. However, at 70 meters, Halt called out, "That was a good tactic, coming right up to my face, but unfortunately, after you get too close, no matter how unexpected it may be, people will see you. You got to 70 meters. We'll work on this some more."

Alyss sighed in frustration and disappointment. She tried as hard as she could, but still Halt managed to catch her. She wondered how Will ever managed to complete his Ranger's training.

(Arridi Ship)

Evanlyn, Selethen, and Gilan were talking quietly at the prow of the ship.

"We can't split our troops, Evanlyn, or else we get too divided. I know you and Horace are great friends with Shigeru, but it is impossible for us to help both Shigeru and Will. We simply are not capable in terms of both men and resources to pull off such an expedition." Gilan said.

"He's right, Princess. I had to use all my skill with words to convince the Emrikir to allow me to go. There are not enough men in any country, and there is not enough time to form any type of army to help Shigeru in time anyways. You know I like Shigeru, just like everyone who was there with us when we fought with him in Nihon-Ja." Selethen added.

Evanlyn nodded sadly. In her heart, she cared more about Will and Horace than anyone else. Just then, a dot appeared on the horizon. As the dot became larger, everybody could see that it was a ship. Selethen tensed. Pirates roamed the seas everywhere. He knew it never hurt to take precautions.

"Get your weapons ready."

There was a clatter as the men rushed to grab their weapons. As the ship came closer, it became clear that it was flying a black flag. Evanlyn unwound her sling, and Gilan readied his bow. There was no mistake. The ship was headed right towards them, and only pirates flew the black flag. There would be a fight. Selethen prayed that they wouldn't take heavy casualties. They would be more of a hindrance than a help if they showed up in Hallasholm tired, wounded, and with damage in their ship.

(Shigeru)

Shigeru woke up to see one of his lieutenants leaning over him. When he saw that his Emperor was awake, he immediately bowed deeply.

"Emperor, how are you feeling?"

Shigeru waved away his worry.

"I feel fine. How are the men?"

At those words, the man looked down. He didn't speak.

Shigeru's heart sank when he saw this reaction. He looked around, but he didn't recognize the woods that they were currently camped in.

"Tell me where my men are." Shigeru said calmly, struggling not to let his emotions show.

"They're gone." The man said sadly and wearily.

"What do you mean they're gone?" Shigeru asked, his voice rising.

The man shook his head.

"TELL ME!" Shigeru shouted, shaking the man.

"They were all captured by the Temujai in that surprise attack. We couldn't do anything. They brought their horses against us. We were destroyed. Only a dozen or so men remain with us now."

Shigeru let go of the man, and quickly rose to his knees and surveyed the small camp. He saw about 8 men moving about the camp, taking care of the chores such as cooking and washing, which was a huge downfall from the elevated, pampered status of Senshi. He looked around, then a thought suddenly hit him. He turned to the lieutenant.

"What about the Hassanu? What happened with them? Did they know to not go to Ran Koshi?"

The lieutenant shook his head gravely.

"We never got the opportunity to tell them. They'll arrive at Ran Koshi tomorrow if nothing stopped them in their journey."

"How far are we from Ran Koshi?" Shigeru asked frantically.

"Several leagues." The lieutenant replied.

Shigeru looked up at the sky.

"It's all over. The invaders have won. I have doomed the Hassanu. I'll go down in the ages as the Emperor who lost Nihon-Ja to foreign invaders. I'm sorry, Shukin, I tried. I really did."

(General Haz'kam)

When the Kaijin he had called for, had assembled, he gave them his orders.

"From now on, you are to ride up and down the column. If the Skandians dare to raid again, shoot them. Aim for the one that looks like their leader. If you can take him down, then take a couple Ulans and charge them. Kill them. Make sure they can't come back the next day."

The Kaijin bowed, and went off to their preparations. General Haz'kam smiled wolfishly. Now, all they had to wait for, was for another one of the Skandians' damned raids. This time, they would have no idea what hit them before they all went down.

Over the next few days, no raids occurred. It was as if the Skandians had literally heard Haz'kam giving his orders. Finally, on the fourth night after he gave his orders, shouting was heard, and a huge ball of fire was seen at his supply lines. Haz'kam grinned. Now, the Skandians would learn the superior skill of archery that the Temujai possessed.

But it all went wrong. As the Kaijin moved forward as a unit to begin taking potshots at the leader of the Skandians, another, larger, group of Skandians suddenly broke from cover and charged forward. The Kaijin, caught off guard, were slaughtered by the massive Skandian axes. Then, just as his Ulans prepared themselves to charge and engage in the fierce skirmish, the Skandians retreated. The bodies of the Kaijin littered the snow-covered ground, which was rapidly turning red. Haz'kam cursed, and bellowed for his aides and his personal guard. When they all arrived, he ordered them all to be taken prisoner. There was no doubt in his mind that there had been a betrayal. There was no way the Skandians could have known that he had deployed Kaijin, since he had made sure the Kaijin patrolled the lines without their standard red insignia, as well has making sure they looked like all the normal sentries. He would make the spy pay and regret ever trying to betray his leader.

**-Just so yall know, this story is still unbetaed. If you are interested in betaing this story, please send me a PM. I know I'm in desperate need of one. Oh, and I'm a bit slow with PM's please don't be annoyed with me if I don't immediately reply back. Peace.**

**~RAfan2421**


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